Patient killed in ambulance crash

MANSFIELD – A patient in an ambulance was killed Friday night when the vehicle rolled over at Interstate 71 and Ohio 13.

Michael L. Willis, 56, of Cleveland, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Richland County Coroner’s Office.

The crash happened at 11:45 p.m. on the I-71 southbound exit ramp to Ohio 13 in Washington Township. The vehicle was from Community Care Ambulance Service of Ashtabula.

The 2011 Ford Ambulance driven by Amber D. Brown, 30, of Cleveland, traveled off the left side of the exit ramp, striking the guardrail, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Mansfield post. The vehicle continued through the guardrail over an embankment, where it rolled several times.

Willis and an EMT, James A. Phillips, 30, of Garfield Heights, were ejected from the patient transport area. Phillips and Brown were transported to OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital with minor injuries.

The ambulance was transporting the patient from a Cleveland-area hospital to another hospital in Columbus when the crash occurred.

The speed of the ambulance and the cause of the crash remain under investigation.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by Washington Township Fire and EMS, the sheriff’s office and the Ohio Department of Transportation.